Robert Christgau's Music Criticism Blog - Expert Witness - MSN Music

Odds and Ends 008

Rock After 55: Wise Maybe, Weary Definitely

By Xgau Apr 17, 2012 1:40AM

 


Lee Scratch Perry: Rise Again (MOD Technologies)

Surrounded by such coequals as Tunde Adebimpe, Sly Dunbar, and Hamid Drake, he‑-uh-oh‑-behaves himself ("Orthodox," "House of God") ***

 

Wanda Jackson: The Party Ain't Over (Nonesuch/Third Man)

Jack White hits the geriatric Christian hottie with songs and horns that remind us what a weirdo she must be ("Thunder on the Mountain," "Shakin' All Over") **

 

John Hiatt: Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns (New West)

Decades past his last outright keeper and 60 this year, he continues to roll out listenable collections like he'll never stop ("Don't Wanna Leave You Now," "Damn This Town," "Detroit Town") **

 

Bonnie Raitt: Slipstream (Redwing)

Bartholin's glands don't fail me now ("Used to Rule the World," "Million Miles") **

 

Dr. John: Locked Down (Nonesuch)

"For my next trick I will shuck my jive and generalize indignantly over a declarative rock beat" ("Big Shot," "Locked Down") **

 

Rick Berlin: Paper Airplane (Hi-N-Dry)

"And Sean looked grim and said, `Suicide'" ("Sean Penn on Charlie Rose," "If I Wasn't Such a Bum") **

 

Steve Earle: I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive (New West)

There'll never be too many songs about death or George W. Bush ("Little Emperor," "Waitin' on the Sky") *

 

Marshall Chapman: Big Lonesome (Tall Girl)

Breakup album about a musician who up and died on her ("Big Lonesome," "I Love Everybody") *


 

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169Comments
sharpsm
Apr 19, 2012 11:49AM
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Greg: I'd add "Anna Lee" and "The Girl I Left Behind" from Dirt Farmer and "When I Go Away" from Electric Dirt. The Midnight Ramble Sessions Vol. 2 that I mentioned the other day seems to be available only as a CD/DVD Digipak ("Digipak" is apparently an ancient Arkansas word meaning "Insanely Expensive"), which is weird because I'm almost positive I bought it as an Amazon download (I can't locate it on my shelves). Last year's Ramble At The Ryman and the FestivaLink.net set MerleFest Ramble are reasonable, if less hairy and intimate, alternatives. As far as obscurities go, I'm crazy about Levon's whoopin' and hollerin' "duet" with Dylan on "Don't Ya Tell Henry" on the bonus disc of the Band's Rock Of Ages. And the guy's an even better drummer than he is a singer, so you might consider adding Neil Young's "See The Sky About To Rain"--Levon's marching band drum-corps rolls and fills are the making of that one ("Revolution Blues" too).

And it won't fit on a mix tape, but definitely read his book, This Wheel's On Fire--best rock star memoir this side of Dylan's Chronicles (although I'm half-way through Rodney Crowell's beautiful Chinaberry Sidewalks, and it's giving both Bob and Levon a run for their money).

The Spirit of Alex Wilson
Apr 19, 2012 9:16AM
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Hay, guys, another song: http://goo.gl/QkpvK

What do you think? New album coming soon! :)
richbogich
Apr 19, 2012 9:08AM
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belated birthday wishes to Xgau. Here's to many more years of guiding me to the planet's most stimulating music. And I think the recently reviewed Spoek Mathambo album is a perfect example of  the Dean's indispensability, a record I probably would not have found myself, and may not have persevered it's challenging rhythms to eventually uncover its beauty even if I did.
John Smallwood (jcsmall63)
Apr 19, 2012 9:00AM
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Greg- One of my favorite Band/Helm songs is "Acadian Driftwood" from Northern Lights. I agree with you that his version of "The Mountain" is great.

Jeff mentioned Levon's great work in The Right Stuff, one of my all-time faves, but he was also great in Coal Miner's Daughter.

Tonight is my Todd Snider show, can't wait. I hope he includes "Brenda" in tonight's setlist.

Happy Birthday to B & C, hope you are enjoying the R & R.

DanWeber - DW513
Apr 19, 2012 7:39AM
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A little late to the birthday party. Congrats, Bob. And to your wife in advance. Enjoy your
well deserved vacay.
jeff melnick (jmel64)
Apr 19, 2012 7:09AM
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Hey Greg,

I'm gonna check out Dirt Farmer--haven't listened to that yet.  Have you listened to any of the extra stuff on the reissue of Moondog Matinee?  I think "Didn't it Rain" is particularly good.  Likewise the studio version of "Get Up Jake" on the expanded Band.   I like also how he sings "One More Shot" on that very strange Legend of Jesse James record, though the voiceover stuff mars it somewhat.

Plus I'd make a pitch for trying to include a bit from his great narration at the end of The Right Stuff: "for a brief moment, Gordo Cooper became the greatest pilot anyone had ever seen"

Greg Morton (GMort)
Apr 19, 2012 6:48AM
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Ryan's new list of Merritt Obscu(i)rities connects to one of my projects for this week that I could use some help with --

A Levon Helm Best Of playlist.

I caught the version of "Atlantic City" that Jeff mentioned. Plus will also pump a couple from Dirt Farmer that Bob didn't rate -- "Wide River To Cross" and Steve Earle's "The Mountain" sounding as traditional and weathered as Earle planned it to be when he wrote it.

If anyone has any other suggestions please post. The more obscure the better.

Thanks in advance.

El-B
Apr 19, 2012 6:31AM
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Happy 70th Xgau: Wise Definitely, Weary Hopefully Not
sangfreud
Apr 19, 2012 5:44AM
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I am intrigued by the concept of calorie restriction (http://goo.gl/fDcw)​.  Though admittedly I'm also curious about Thick As a Brick 2 (http://goo.gl/Q4QDb​).
same thing backwards - patrick
Apr 19, 2012 4:13AM
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Who is on last.fm? Links to profiles anyone?

Look for the Expert Witness group on there, led by raquel9e (a.k.a. Bris Piggy) - goo.gl/UFwLi

Cam Patterson
Apr 19, 2012 4:00AM
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1) Starz - Cherry Baby is your favorite song? 2) I'd love to hear your opinion on the paleo diet. 
1) At one time, probably yes. It's an awesome song, and no power pop song is any good at all unless it's your favorite song in the world when it's playing. Right now, favorite song is (perks ear) "Shitlist +1". I am in a temper tantrum moment, after all.
2) Works great with side 2 of Thick As A Brick
Michael Tatum
Apr 18, 2012 11:35PM
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Feliz cumpleaños, Bob.  Can't even begin to tell you how much twenty years of reading your work has enriched my life.  And you brought me to all these great people!  Thanks for everything, a shameless fanboy named Michael.

 

(All right, Gram Parsons and I are gonna go do the dishes.)

Ryan Maffei
Apr 18, 2012 11:28PM
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File under Aon Aon [Apropos of nothing, x2]. So the Stephin Merritt aficionados among us probably have most of the myriad SM ephemera not included on Obscurities already – the majority of his oeuvre is largely locatable in ‘net forests or on the iTunes. But I’ve specially procured, sequenced and artwork’ed this moonlit sister to the extant odds ‘n’ ends-er for your enjoyment notwithstanding:

 

OBSCUIRITIES II

1.    The Man of a Million Faces – written/recorded in two days for NPR’s Project Song

2.    The Meaning of Lice – from the compilation Plague Songs

3.    I’m in a Lonely Way – written/recorded for a Volvo commercial

4.    When Will You Love Me Again? – exclusive iTunes bonus track from Realism

5.    Mr. Punch – a Future Bible Heroes track from a tribute to fanboy Neil Gaiman

6.    The Dead Only Quickly – from the Gothic Archies’ first EP, a 1996 Hello CD of the month

7.    If I Were a Rich Man – from the Fiddler on the Roof tribute Knitting on the Roof

8.    Don’t You Want Me? – by Future Bible Heroes, from the Human League tribute Reproductions

9.    Human – also from Reproductions, by the 6ths (sung by Lloyd Cole)

10.  Beauty – from the Chris Knox (himself an ex-6th) tribute Stroke

11.  Not One of Us – cover b-side of Peter Gabriel’s “The Book of Love” single

12.  The Nun’s Litany (Live on Fair Game) – gorgeous acoustic version of the Distortion highlight

13.  When Next in Love I Fall – b-side of “Andrew in Drag”

14.  O! What a Dream it Was – Future Bible Heroes track from Welcome to the Dollhouse

 

However it coheres (and it certainly invites a conceptual narrative or two if you’re so inclined), it can’t be that far below volume one’s A-. Enjoyez-vous: goo.gl/A03Da

Nora Hollywood
Apr 18, 2012 11:09PM
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Again thanks, Cam. And, plus, I got to write 'the matrix preloaded' without having to explain myself.

I think your advice will find plenty of interested ears hereabouts. I am reasonably fit and healthy myself, except for significant heart disease. May you all get loads of exercise, now and in the future.
Joe Lunday
Apr 18, 2012 9:52PM
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Happy birthday, Bob, and thanks again for all of the terrific writing over these years.  Glad I squeezed this in before midnight.  (Should I feel guilty that I ignore most of those birthday prompts on Facebook for people I actually know in real life?)
Apr 18, 2012 9:52PM
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As I also have a tendency to be last at the party, now is the time to wish Bob a joyous birthday. Ever since fervently reading his Kala review in Rolling Stone, I packed my ears, eyes and brain onto the Night Train, any plans to get off purely unimaginable.

I might only be one of many wonderful passengers on board in which his intelligence and musical direction has rendered almost any of my personal, individualistic opinions meaningless. However, we can certainly agree you, as the conductor, have taken us to some exotic, galvanizing places. 

I hope I'm not laying the sentiment on too thick. 
Cam Patterson
Apr 18, 2012 8:53PM
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Rob Sheffield: "In honor of Robert Christgau’s 70th birthday I am listening to “The Electric Spanking of War Babies” 70 times in a row."

+1, except for I'm taking Have Moicy!
Tom Walker
Apr 18, 2012 7:45PM
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I am always late for these things.  Happy birthday, Robert Christgau!  Thanks for all of the great writing.
stanpnepa
Apr 18, 2012 7:41PM
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To the man who is to blame for all those extra record shelves and CD racks I've had to build over the years - a (nearly belated and) most wonderful birthday.

Cam Patterson
Apr 18, 2012 7:09PM
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 Is this a practical matter (i.e., easier to get people to take statins) or is he perhaps overemphasizing the health benefits of diet and exercise?
Exercise is easy. Exercise is a can't miss all-ages show. Perhaps it is so easy to measure the health benefits of exercise because exercise affects so many parts of our body. Aerobic exercise has substantial benefits on cardiovascular health. Exercise in kids reduces the probability of obesity and diabetes later on. And you older folks, don't forget about load-bearing exercise. Muscle mass is a strong predictor of quality of life as you get older.

Unless you are following diets for well-defined reasons (diabetes, high risk of heart disease etc), I don't see much evidence for value in fad diet phenomenology. But it's a little like being a fan of Jethro Tull-- hey, more power to you if you get into that stuff, just don't make me do it. There's a book called Just Tell Me What to Eat by Tim Harlan that provides sane information about how to eat well, and it must be pretty good because I wrote the blurb on the back cover.

Anyway, nuff that.

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about the blogger

Robert Christgau

Starting in 1967, Robert Christgau has covered popular music for The Village Voice, Esquire, Blender, Playboy, Rolling Stone, and many other publications. He teaches in New York University's Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music, maintains a comprehensive website at robertchristgau.com, and has published five books based on his journalism. He has written for MSN Music since 2006.

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